


I already know that there ain't no stoppin' (your plans and those slow hands)

by bellexreve



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, M/M, Post-Canon, Rin is the best brother, School Dances, Shima is a Flirt, Shura is a good friend, Underage Drinking, Yukio is repressed, a bit of OCs because the author loves giving mentors and self-indulgence is a delicacy, but with an adult supervising, mentions of biphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26193274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellexreve/pseuds/bellexreve
Summary: Shima’s presence next to him was impossible to ignore, but this time Yukio wasn’t wary, just aware. “Shima-san.”“Hm?” Shima had leant his head against the cupboard, looking for all the world as though the few inches of counter he lounged on were the most comfortable spot in the world.“Why did you”— kiss me— “stick around after you brought me to the Illuminati headquarters?"Shima tilted his head. “You really don’t know?” He straightened, leaning closer. Like this he towered over Yukio, forcing him to tilt his head back. There was the scent of weapon oil and smoke, but Yukio refused to back away, even when Shima was close enough for their breaths to mingle.“Sensei”, Shima implored, “Get a clue.”
Relationships: Okumura Yukio/Shima Renzou
Comments: 5
Kudos: 47





	I already know that there ain't no stoppin' (your plans and those slow hands)

**Author's Note:**

> "i really love bsd's tachihara"
> 
> "Tachihara/kunikida is such a good ship"
> 
> "Tachihara and Shima are really similiar characters, huh" 
> 
> and then this idea hit 
> 
> this is nothing but pure self-indulgence that assumes that all ends well in canon because these dumb children deserve nice things
> 
> title from Niall Horan's "slow hands"

“You and  _ Yukio?” _

Renzou leaned back with a smirk. He hadn’t even opened his mouth and already Yukio wanted to sink into the ground in embarrassment. 

“What can I say, I’ve always been into the sexy teacher type.”

* * *

Yukio didn’t see it coming.

The fight was over. Rin had won. Conflicting instincts were blaring in his head. The sight from his left eye was still tinted blue.

Shima broke away from the others first, the smudging black lines surrounding him making Yukio want to raise his metaphorical hackles in defense.  _ (How _ Rin managed to let Shima close enough to hug was a mystery. The threat of black flames nearly drove Yukio  _ insane.) _

He didn’t dare move as Shima walked over, for fear of lashing out or maybe just appearing weak, Yukio wasn’t quite sure himself. Shima looked determined, no sign of his usual laid-back attitude. Each step he took made Yukio draw in tighter and tighter in preparation of a strike he shouldn’t be expecting after everything that had just happened. 

(If anything, Rin should be the one to lash out at Yukio.)

The golden staff clattered to the ground a fraction of a second before warm hands cupped Yukio’s face and Shima pulled him down into a kiss.

His lips were soft, moving against Yukio’s in a gentle caress. The scent of sweat and weapon oil filled Yukio’s nostrils, almost familiar if it hadn’t been undercut with smoke and heat,  _ danger, demon, fight, fight, fight. _

Just as sudden as he had initiated it, Shima broke the kiss. He stepped back, leaving Yukio to stare at him helplessly. 

“Yukio!”

Rin’s voice was like a bucket of ice water. 

Yukio flinched. Instead of following up with more screaming, Rin was suddenly  _ there, _ enveloping him in a big hug and nearly breaking Yukio’s ribs. 

“Don’t scare me like that again, you four-eyed idiot!”

Yukio’s eyes skipped from Shima to Shiemi and the others. Kamiki and Suguro were heatedly discussing something while Miwa patted Shiemi’s shoulder. None of them looked as though they had noticed Shima’s little stunt.

Yukio lifted his arms to return the embrace. “Alright, Nii-san.” 

As Yukio ignored the growing wet spot on his shirt, Shima wordlessly picked his staff up and returned to the rest of the exwires. 

* * *

Things returned to normal. As normal as the life of an exorcist could be, anyway. Classes resumed. Their older siblings stopped trying to kill each other at the drop of a hat and behaved semi-well when they popped up. 

If five years ago, someone had told Yukio that one day he would watch his twin slam down a pot in front of the eight demon kings and  _ demand _ that they appreciate the “hard work that goes into feeding you goddamn  _ animals” _ he would have thought the other had gone off the deep end. Now that was every saturday night.

(Yukio still didn’t know what to make of Lucifer giving him an approving nod after watching Shima leave the classroom after class had ended. For his own sake, he ignored it.) 

Morrison  was back to crashing exwire lessons, too. Usually by barging in before Yukio had begun to wrap his own up and lounging on one of the empty desks before Werner-sensei walked in. Then she would be all over her and instead of reprimanding her like she had at the start of the year, Werner-sensei returned the hug for exactly thirty seconds (yes, Yukio checked. Several times) before sending her off to her seat again. 

(“Oh!”, Morrison had crowed the first day back to bothering Yukio. ”You finally worked through your emotional baggage. Good job, you human disaster!” At least she kept out of his personal space as she said it.) 

Rin meanwhile derived some sick sort of enjoyment out of watching Yukio struggle to keep his newly-awakened powers in check. 

Yukio rubbed his eyes trying to get his vision back to normal? Rin had this manic grin on his face when he opened them again. 

Yukio jerked from sitting on his tail by accident? Rin laughed at him. 

(Yukio had to hold back snarls at people,  _ danger, too close, fight? _ Rin’s hand grabbed his elbow or his tail wrapped around Yukio's waist, grounding him until he was calm again.)

All in all, things were good. Better than they had been in a while.

* * *

“Hey, Sensei! Wanna eat with us?” 

Yukio stopped at the unexpected call.

Shima waved him over from below a few trees. Suguro and Miwa were watching him too, although with very neutral expressions. Still not befitting anyone who knew what had happened between Shima and him. Not that what happened was important. What was a kiss between acquaintances?

“Ah”, Yukio said, remembering he actually needed to reply, “Thank you but I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense, Rin and the girls will come join us any minute anyway.” Well, if Shima put it like that... 

Reluctantly, Yukio joined the three. Miwa nodded at his bento. “Did Rin-kun make that?”

“Yes, and I’ve been threatened to eat it all or else.”

Suguro shook his head with an aggravated sigh. “I can’t believe I missed that punk acting like an overly concerned moher. He cut me goddamn apple rabbits yesterday!”

He probably wouldn’t appreciate hearing about Rin force feeding Mephisto vegetables as well. “Food is how Nii-san shows his love”, Yukio explained. 

Shima snorted next to him. It made everything in Yukio tense up, suddenly all too aware of the parts of his brain that whispered  _ danger, fight, run. _ Nevermind that there was no weapon on Shima. Or that Yukio steadfastly ignored the blue wanting to bleed into his vision. The black licking at Shima’s fingertips was nothing but his imagination.

“Oh, you guys managed to drag Yukio from his corner!” 

With a few skips Rin was next to them and let himself flop down half on top of Yukio. “Did you finally realize that hunkering down in the library is boring and you should spend more time with your friends?”

They were Run’s friends, but as Shiemi and Kamiki joined them as well Yukio couldn’t bring himself to voice that argument. “I much prefer your company to our siblings.”

An unanimous shudder went through the group. It was all the encouragement Rin needed to launch into a graphic retelling of the last family dinner.

* * *

“So how’s life treating you these days?” 

Yukio ducked under Shura’s blade, coming up to fire at the minor demon trying to jump on her back. “You’ve never been the best at timing small talk.”

“As if you ever speak to me outside of missions, Mr. Repression-is-my-middle-name.”

Yukio refused to acknowledge that. “It’s not like there’s much to talk about.” He reloaded his clip as Shura pushed back the demons with a wide sweep of Fang. “Need I remind you of all the times you told me to get a hobby?”

“With good reason— all work and no play makes Yukio a dull boy.”A new round of gunshots paused their conversation. “At this point I am desperate for even some poor girl taking your reliable teacher persona at face value and confessing. Although to get that through your thick skull, she’d need to do something drastic, like kiss you.”

Yukio’s shot went way off mark. Instead of hitting another demon, it sunk into the ground an inch from Shura’s foot. 

Shura actually froze and stared at the hole it had left. A distracted swipe of Fang eradicated the last stragglers.

“What happened?”

Yukio shoved his guns back into the holster with more force than necessary. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Shura looked up. “You haven’t had aim this shit since the second lesson your old man gave you. Since when do  _ you _ have a crush?!”

It was fine. Nothing to be defensive about. Yukio could be level-headed about this. 

“I am not crushing on anybody!”

“So someone is crushing on you?”

“No!”

“But something happened and it has to do with kissing.” Shura’s hand landing on his shoulder made Yukio jump. “Yukio, it’s no use”, she said gravely. “You are blushing like a newlywed maiden on her wedding night”— please, someone, strike him down _ now—  _ “Denial won’t save you.”

“I am not in denial”, Yukio insisted even though it was futile. Shura just gave him a deadpan look. 

The number of people Yukio was willing to talk about…  _ this _ was zero. No one. It was a spur of the moment thing. Relief over having finally won against Satan. A joke. Nothing serious or reason to lose sleep over.

“Look at it this way”, Shura said, apparently tired of his silence. “Nowadays you don’t have one but  _ nine _ older siblings invested in your affairs.”

That was  _ low. _ The mental picture of Rin asking about his love life— or worse,  _ Mephisto  _ asking about his love life sent a violent shiver down Yukio’s spine. 

“Fine”, he ground out. The effort that single word cost him surprised himself. “You know how the exwires kinda… hugged it out after Rin’s victory?”

Shura frowned. “Yeah? What, you jealous your brother was loved on by the people he put effort into befriending the past year?”

It was too much. Yukio buried his face in his hands. 

“Shima-san suddenly came over and kissed me.”

Silence.

Shura’s hand still rested on his shoulder. It was a small comfort in the face of Yukio’s humiliation. 

“Shima-kun”, Shura repeated. Her hand lifted in a heavy clap. “Our former double-agent. Who brought you to the Illuminati.”

Yukio nodded.

“Well, that surely explains a thing or two.”

Screw everything he had done before, this was officially the worst mistake of Yukio’s life. His face was hot enough to fry an egg on. 

“So what did you do?”, Shura asked.

“What did  _ I  _ do?! Nothing!”, Yukio yelped. “It’s not like I was prepared for someone to kiss me!”

She nodded. “But that was weeks ago”, Shura pointed out. “You see each other in class all the time. One of you must have said something.”

Yukio shrugged. This was humiliating enough as it was. He didn’t need to admit how he couldn't help but wait for something to happen. 

A deep sigh was his answer. “Why doesn’t that surprise me. Okay, let’s get this mission over with so we can figure out what you’ll do about your boyfriend.”

She slung an arm around Yukio and dragged him away, completely ignoring his protests.

* * *

“Okay, okay!”, Rin wheezed, slumping sideways into Yukio. “No more, please.”

Suguro stopped spinning and gently set a still giggling Miwa back down. Kamiki groaned into her hands. 

“I can’t believe you.”

Suguro barked a laugh. “You’re the one who picked the dare!”

“Because I didn’t know you two actually knew how to do a damn lift!” 

The  _ snort _ Rin hid in Yukio’s shoulder. Buoyed by the mirth, Yukio hid a smirk in his drink.

_ How  _ Werner-sensei had managed to organize a spontaneous field trip to  _ Germany _ of all places was still beyond him. It wasn’t like Mephisto wouldn't see through the poorly concealed ruse to allow them to get drunk legally. “You helped take down the king of Gehenna”, she had said. “You nearly  _ died. _ If anyone is allowed to celebrate, it’s you guys.” And that was how they ended up in the conservatory of her parental home.

“I am a man of many talents”, Sugura said as he let himself drop back into his armchair. 

“You are an affront to good taste.”

Ignoring Kamiki’s sulking, Suguro continued the game.

Konekomaru was forced into rating the stray cats on campus while Shiemi dared Yukio to perform the chicken dance. He was even joined by Werner-sensei who had chosen the wrong moment to check up on them (not that she minded. Having young nieces apparently cured one of embarrassment). 

After that Kamiki enlisted Rin’s help in re-enacting a scene from her favorite manga. To the surprise of no one there was a lot of bickering. It ended with Kamiki hitting Rin for ruining the heartfelt confession by bursting into drunken laughter. 

Bon made the mistake of choosing truth and had to retell the time he misinterpreted a classmate’s invitation to a study date quite dramatically. It wasn’t clear what made them laugh so hard, the horrified expression on his face or how he described his flight with baseball metaphors.

Once they had calmed down, Shima chose truth as well. 

Kamiki snorted. At some point she had thrown her legs over his lap and now poked him with her toes. “As if anything out of your mouth can be trusted”, she griped. Shima didn’t seem bothered. 

“Maybe so”, he replied, lips lifting in a smirk. “But since Bon retold what must have been the most embarrassing tale of his life, I think I can tell the truth for a few minutes. To honor the game.”

“Don’t be such a smartass.” 

Shima just continued smirking as he turned to look back at Suguro, who was looking rather contemplative. “I’ve been wondering”, he said, “Who was your first crush?”

“He promised to tell the truth and that’s what you’re asking?”, Kamiki protested. “This idiot falls in love with someone new every day, he probably forgot all about it.”

Shima swirled his bottle. (Apple cider. Yukio had to keep Rin away from the stuff after the second bottle because apparently it didn’t taste like garbage. To think Rin would one day spew culinary criticism about alcohol of all things.) 

“That’s actually really mean of you, Izumo-chan. I remember every one of my crushes perfectly.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“Kobayashi-sensei in first grade. He had a smile like the sun, gave me gold stickers on my homework and I wanted to marry him when I grew up.”

One could have heard a pin drop in the silence. Shima took a drink, looking for all the world as though he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on them.

“Men aren’t allowed to marry each other in Japan yet”, Rin pointed out sleepily. Somehow Yukio was sure the significance of what Shima had just said was lost on him. 

“I know that now but at the time I was like seven.”

At last Suguro found his voice. “Since when do  _ you _ like men?!”

“Always? It’s not like you ever asked.”

Somehow Suguro’s confused expression was really funny. Yukio blamed the alcohol for starting to laugh hard enough to dislodge Rin from his shoulder. “Would you have told us you were a spy, too, if we had asked?”

“Why of course. What reason would I have had not to?”, Shima snorted. 

Now Rin started laughing as well. “You should have done that as introduction— ‘My name is Shima Renzou and you shouldn’t get attached to me because at some point this year I will betray you.’” 

“That would have only encouraged you to befriend Shima-san harder, Nii-san.”

Suguru still looked aggressively confused, but the others started to unfreeze. Kamiki gave Shima a considering look.

“‘llo there, Izumo-chan”, Shima said, barely managing to keep the laughter out of his voice. “Remember how I said I’d betray you? Come hop into this sack so I can get to that. Ow!” 

The kick into his ribs was what did them in. Peals of laughter erupted from them all. Rin nearly fell off the couch and that only made them all laugh  _ harder. _

Just as Yukio thought they had themselves back under control, Miwa’s innocent “Can you imagine Rin-kun’s impression if he’d had months to prepare it?” set them off again. 

* * *

The next morning was peaceful and quiet, with only the grey morning light and the faint chirping of birds filling the air. The calm before the storm, of course— Yukio had woken up at 5am because his throat had felt like parchment and only after downing two glasses of water did he feel human again. The others wouldn’t fare much better— with the exception of Shiemi, who had stuck to a single drink. But what was a headache and a little dehydration after surviving literal hell? 

At least Shura hadn’t been invited along. The single crate of beer wouldn’t have been enough if she had. 

“Oh, you’re awake.”

Shima padded into the kitchen, scratching at his stomach. He immediately went for a glass, filling it with water much like Yukio had.

“Did your hangover wake you, too?” 

“Ah, this is nothing.” Shima waved him off, already refilling his glass. “Neko-chan just kicked me right in the bladder. Who would have thought some beer would turn the little guy into Bruce Lee?” After closing the tap, Shima turned and hopped onto the counter. The movement caused his pant legs to ride up.

Another glass of water was starting to sound like a great idea, actually.

“You sure you should sit on strangers' kitchen counters like that?”

Shima shrugged. It was strange having to look up at him. “Jo-san does it all the time, can’t imagine Werner-sensei minding too much if I do, too. She’s chill like that.”

Part of Yukio wanted to argue that a teacher shouldn't be ‘chill’ but he couldn’t deny how refreshed he felt even with the hangover. There was no one else (human at least) he could think of who’d do something like this for them. 

(Their father would have, Yukio caught himself thinking. Take them somewhere safe to be a little irresponsible for a few hours. For the first time, the thought didn’t make him ache.) 

“I guess she is.”

Yukio stared out the window as he sipped from his glass. There wasn’t much to see, just the neighbours’ hedges. Shima’s presence next to him was impossible to ignore, but this time Yukio wasn’t wary, just aware.

“Shima-san.”

“Hm?” Shima had leant his head against the cupboard, looking for all the world as though the few inches of counter he lounged on were the most comfortable spot in the world. 

“Why did you”— _ kiss me— _ “stick around after you brought me to the Illuminati headquarters? I can't imagine it's because you enjoy spending time with Lucifer.”

Shima shrugged. “Would have been kinda shitty to throw you to the wolves.”

Yukio raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? You suffered through meals with one of my unhinged siblings and Todo-san because you were trying to be a decent human being?”

Instead of agreeing or deflecting like Yukio expected him to, Shima tilted his head. “You really don’t know?” He straightened, leaning closer. Like this he towered over Yukio, forcing him to tilt his head back. There was the scent of weapon oil and smoke again, but Yukio refused to back away, even when Shima was close enough for their breaths to mingle.

_ “Sensei”, _ Shima implored, “Get a clue.”

* * *

Somehow Yukio was beginning to doubt Werner-sensei's good intentions. It must have been a cruel joke that they arrived back at school just in time for the weekly family dinner. Yukio spent it nursing a cup of tea while Rin was busy yelling at Amaimon. Mephisto laughed at them the whole time. 

Once they had eaten and the dishes had been cleared away, Rin enlisted Egyn's help in making crepes for dessert. Like a gaggle of hypnotized toddlers, most of the others followed to watch. It left Yukio alone with Mephisto at his side and Lucifer across from him. His low-level headache immediately turned worse. 

After a few moments of watching the ruckus at the hatch, Lucifer turned his attention to Yukio. 

“Don’t you think it's time to officially introduce your young man to the rest?”

Yukio blinked. “My… young man”, he repeated dumbly. He risked a glance at Mephisto, who continued sipping his tea as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. (Why did that make his face so damn punchable?)

Lucifer explained: “Shima Renzou-kun of course. I know we’re still getting used to Rin as our patriarch but those two get along well— he won’t oppose your choice.”

Wait, no, Lucifer couldn't think—

“It's true that Shima-san and Nii-san are good friends, but he is nothing more than my student”, Yukio wheezed. 

No change in expression. Yukio wasn’t sure if he was glad that he had gotten used to that or not because if it had been anyone else, it would unnerve him. 

“You followed him to the Illuminati”, Lucifer pointed out after a moment. 

Of course he would mention that. Yukio tried to keep his voice even. “Shima-san wasn’t the reason I joined.”

After another moment of contemplation, Lucifer nodded. “I didn’t mean to presume.”

Mephisto's amusement was  _ palpable.  _ It would be so easy to draw his guns and shoot him, but ultimately useless. Yukio ground out a strained “It’s fine” and downed the rest of his tea just before excited hollering pulled their attention away. 

* * *

Sundays thankfully tended to be quiet. Years of habit meant that Rin fell out of bed without complaint for once and in a sick turn of events bothered  _ Yukio _ into getting ready for church. (The others had learned quickly that sunday-morning-Rin was not above dragging full-blooded demons onto consecrated ground and thus avoided him like the plague.) 

The sermon was easy enough to follow. They listened, they sang and they cowered from stray droplets of holy water. After an hour the church goers flooded out the doors and Rin stuck around to exchange recipes with some other regulars. At this point, Yukio either left for a mission or went back to their dorm to study.

Today though, Yukio turned towards the teachers' dorms.

"I swear on all that is holy", Shura yelled through the door after Yukio had knocked, "If there isn't a good reason you are bothering me, I will bash your head in!" 

She sure never let someone forget she wasn’t a morning person. 

The door opened, revealing Shura with her hair tie barely holding on and wearing an oversized shirt and leggings. "Yukio? Didn't Rita drag you guys to Germany to look at churches?" 

"She did. We came back yesterday", Yukio explained. 

"I see." Shura let him in. "What brings you here so early in the morning, choir boy?" 

Just a few words. Yukio could do it. He took a deep breath. 

"It's about Shima-san." 

An unholy glint entered Shura's eyes. "Oho. So  _ now _ you come crawling on your knees. Didn't you reject the advice I so generously gave last time?" 

"... I'm sorry", Yukio conceded. 

After giving him an once-over, Shura crossed her arms in front of her chest. "So, what happened?" 

He could do this. Shura already knew about the most embarrassing part. It should be easy this time around.

No word would leave his lips.

“Would you like me to drag you into a confessional?”, Shura inquired after his third failed attempt. 

Immediately Yukio bristled. “Father told you about that?!”

“How he dragged you in there to give you the talk about your budding sexual urges being nothing to be ashamed of?”, she asked, each word making Yukio want to die a little more. “He sure did. You know your old man lived for every chance to give you two the embarrassing-parent-experience.”

Yukio hid his face in his hands. "I can't believe him", he groaned. 

"I can. Would it help?" 

"Wha— of course not! What makes you think being in a church makes talking about your feelings easier?!" 

"So there are." 

Slowly, Yukio lowered his hands just enough to glance at Shura. “Are what?”

“Feelings.”

He frowned. “I know you like to make fun of me, but that’s not funny.”

“I am not making fun of you. Last time you never said anything about how you felt about Shima-kun kissing you. There was no way to know if it freaked you out so much because he's your student.” 

Yukio flinched. He hadn’t even considered that _. _

“That leaves either you didn’t want to be kissed— which, you know, fair— or you didn’t want to be kissed by a boy.” 

There was a pause. One that made it clear that there was a third option. That Yukio had wanted to be kissed and couldn’t admit it.

Yukio cleared his throat. “You know I never had time for romance.” 

Now Shura was the one who frowned, clearly thinking Yukio was trying to deflect. (Not that he could blame her.) “I know you have a one track mind”, she replied. “You decided you had to flagellate yourself and then ignored everything else.”

Just because it was the truth didn’t mean Yukio had to like it. He soldiered on. “I decided I didn’t have the time nor the need for romance when there were demons hurting people and I— I  _ ignored  _ it, because—” His breath hitched. Shura didn’t try to interrupt, only watched him. 

Yukio took an unsteady breath. “Because”, he repeated, “I thought the moment Nii-san awakened, the order would kill us both. Even though they ran the tests as soon as I started training. And in the end, I was right, wasn’t I? The demon was there but no one— no one noticed.” Blue licked at his vision but Yukio was too exhausted to force it away. He hid his face again.

There was a very soft touch at his elbow. Why did he always forget that Shura could be gentle? “So you never let yourself imagine?”, Shura asked.

Yukio couldn’t suppress a bitter laugh. “What, a wife and two kids? As if we’d have been allowed to have that. Seems more like Nii-san’s style, anyway.”

“He makes do with what he has.”

The dry comment pulled another laugh out of him, less bitter this time. That was true, wasn’t it? Rin spent most of his free time in the kitchen, aggressively feeding all the people he cared about.

“And now?”, Shura asked. “Do you still not let yourself imagine?” 

"I don't know how", Yukio admitted. (The words he had always hated the most—  _ I don't know what I'm supposed to do, I don’t know how to let people in, I don't know how to make myself worthy.)  _ "It's not like Shima-san makes it easy on me, either. He's just…  _ there _ and I can't figure out what he's expecting of me." 

Shura was quiet for a long time, her hand never leaving Yukio's arm. At last she said: "An answer, most likely."

"Very funny." 

"Well, that's what you would want, too, in his place. It's really nerve-wracking to put yourself out there like that." 

Yukio dared to look up. "He sure doesn't act like it." 

"That boy had us all fooled", Shura reminded him, dry as a desert. "I'd be worried if he wasn’t able to act normal about a crush." 

It couldn't be a crush. But Yukio couldn't bring himself to voice the thought. That's what it still sounded like from the outside and it felt like he would be descrediting Shima's feelings if he denied it. He'd admitted to that hurting, even when it was obvious that he and Kamiki had just been joking around. 

“Even if that’s true, that doesn’t really help me figure out what to do.”

“Well, ignoring it hasn’t worked, you are running in circles instead of away.” Shura clapped his shoulder, thankfully not hard enough to make him stumble forward. “Maybe it’s time to try option three.”

Yukio frowned again. “What’s option three?”

“Get Shima-kun to kiss you again.”

* * *

_Get Shima-kun to kiss you again._

Shura was insane and shouldn’t be trusted. She had never had a romantic relationship in her life before, so how accurate could her advice even be? 

_ Get Shima-kun to kiss you again. _

As if it was that easy, as if Yukio could just walk up to him and say “So I still don’t know why you kissed me the day Nii-san defeated our father, why don’t you do it again?” Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. 

_ Get Shima-kun to kiss you—  _

Rin pushed away from his desk and stretched with a satisfied sound. “Finally”, he muttered, “I thought I’d never finish that dumb assignment.” There was the unmistakable shuffling of papers and pencils that signaled that he was done with his homework. “I’ll go get started on dinner with Ukobach.” 

Yukio gave his assent as he continued stubbornly staring at his physics homework.

The shuffling stopped. “You okay?”

“Of course.”

No sound from the other side of the room. Yukio could feel Rin staring but refused to acknowledge him. Not that that has ever stopped Rin before. 

Arms wrapped around Yukio’s shoulders and he was pulled sideways into Rin’s chest. It wasn’t a new position to find himself in. Usually Rin just did it when their siblings were being obnoxious and he started insisting that Yukio was the only well-behaved one. 

“Something’s been bothering you, hasn’t it?”, Rin asked. 

Yukio tensed, mouth already opening to deny it, but he forced himself to swallow the words. Keeping secrets from Rin had hurt and while Yukio really didn’t want to have another conversation about his feelings, he didn’t want to fall back into old habits either. “Yeah”, he muttered, leaning into the hold. One hand patted his hair. 

“Wanna talk about it?”

Reluctantly, Yukio considered it. He wrapped his arms around Rin’s waist, listening to the even  _ thud-thud-thud  _ of his heartbeat. Being close like this was easy, so different from before. The ‘comfortable distance’ Yukio had put between them when he became an exorcist hadn’t been comfortable at all. “Not really”, Yukio answered. “Don’t worry, I already asked Shura for advice.” 

Rin hummed, continuing to pat his hair. After a moment, he dropped his cheek onto Yukio’s head. 

“You know I love you, right?” 

Sudden tears forced Yukio to close his eyes. Of course he did. Even during his darkest moments he had always known that at the end of the day, there was nothing that could make Rin hate him. No matter how much Yukio had wanted him to at times. 

Yukio buried his face in Rin’s chest. 

“I love you, too, Nii-san.”

* * *

Monday dawned bright and early with Mephisto standing over them as they slept.

“Good morning”, he purred once they had stopped screaming. “I hope you two had a wonderful night.” (Yukio couldn’t help but feel like it was mockery over the fact that they had crawled into the same bed like they were five.)

A tea service popped into existence, floating mid air. Grumbling, Rin sat up to accept a cup, leaving Yukio strangely cold. After a moment, he sat up as well. 

“What made you get up before—” Rin glanced at the clock “— seven in the morning?”

Mephisto tutted. “Can’t I spend a relaxing morning with my two baby brothers?”

“I am going to kick your freaking ass.”

“Alright, alright. I came over to tell you all about True Cross Academy’s End Of The Year Dance.”

Rin blinked. “What.”

“A yearly tradition.” Mephisto nodded imperiously. “Having only one festival is boring. Hard-working youths should have the opportunity to bond and have fun with their friends with some music and good food.”

“Can you be anymore of an instigator?”, Rin asked. “You made this school into a shoujo manga setting.” 

“I knew you would understand, Rin-kun.” 

Of course he’d admit it. Being alive for several hundred years sure made one shameless. 

Yukio paused in lifting his cup. “Doesn’t the dance happen at the same time as the annual Exorcist Drinking Spree?” 

The question made Rin spit out his tea. 

“The annual  _ what?!” _

“Exorcist Drinking Spree”, Yukio repeated. “That’s what Father and Shura called it. The entirety of the japanese order gets invited and they eat and drink until morning.”

Rin opened his mouth.

“I wasn’t allowed to attend.”

He snapped it shut with a click.

“That was because you still attended middle school”, Mephisto said. “Now that you are going to be second years, the situation is different.”

“We’re allowed to get  _ drunk?!”,  _ Rin screeched.

“You are allowed to  _ attend. _ But of course, if you’d rather attend the school party with a date, you are also welcome to do so. I’ve been planning on having some black lights installed in the gym since last year. You know, for  _ atmosphere.” _

“Oi, stop making it sound so weird. As school director you should be preoccupied with keeping things respectable, not encourage debauchery!” 

“Oh, you’ve been spending time with dear Margarete! She and Morrison-san always remind me to leave space for Jesus.”

“Are you kidding me.”

“In any case”, Mephisto said, waving off Rin’s concerns, “Dress code for the drinking spree is the coat at the very least should you attend. Should you decide to attend he black light party instead, though, or just need help in general, come see me and I will gladly help you pick out what to wear!”

With another puff of smoke, Mephisto disappeared, leaving the twins to stare at the empty space he left.

“Coming to this school was a mistake”, Rin declared. Yukio agreed.

* * *

Lunch break found Yukio sorting through the cram school’s prep room. So maybe he was hiding. It was better than feeling watched wherever he went on campus. 

At least he could use the time to make his class a little more fun, now that they had covered the most important plants. Making a herbarium sounded like a good idea, especially since it gave the exwires the chance to see firsthand what they had covered in theory. 

Gathering his materials, Yukio made his way to the classroom.

“This thing with Okumura-kun, are you serious about it?” 

He froze upon hearing the words. That was Morrison’s voice. Knowing her it was either Werner-sensei she was talking to, or…

“You know”, Shima’s voice sounded, “Coming from you that question actually hurts.”

Yukio spotted the door, open just enough to let the voices carry into the hall. Unable to stop himself, he walked closer.

“Unlike any of your friends I know what it’s like to be high on success and enter a relationship. That’s why I’m asking, Ren-chan. I know the consequences.” 

He wasn’t brave enough to glance into the room. Instead Yukio leaned against the wall next to the door. Even though these halls were perpetually empty, his heart pounded in his chest. It would be impossible to explain what he was doing if anyone were to pass by.

Shima snorted. “What consequences?”

“You’re forgetting that outside the order, Okumura-kun is a good student on his way to valedictorian who never did anything wrong in his life while you are a slacker. A charming one, of course, but a slacker nonetheless.” 

(Morrison had never been serious the times Yukio had worked with her. Usually she made jokes or inappropriate comments, posturing and preening constantly— even if, admittedly, she had the skill to back it all up. He didn’t know what it meant that she was serious now of all times.)

“Should you two end up dating”, she continued, “No matter what relationship trouble will befall you, no matter the fight, it will be your fault as the evil bisexual corrupting him. Can’t decide what university he wants to go to? Your fault for keeping him from his full potential. Don’t get along with his family? Of course, they expected a woman. He lashes out? Whom did you flirt with this time?” 

The silence that followed was deafening. Yukio felt sick.

“That sounds like a lot of baggage”, Shima said, deceptively blasé.

“Maybe. Don’t worry, that was over ten years ago. My point is, even if your normal friends don’t side with him, all I’ve just said still applies to his family.”

Oh boy. The only language they all understood was violence. Compromises were only achieved by Rin— hot-blooded, overprotective Rin. Beating up a potential boyfriend together definitely was something they wouldn’t have to be convinced about. Ilblis might even call it a fun bonding activity. 

Yukio shuddered. 

“Even if what you say is true”, Shima sighed, resigned, “It’s not like dating him is on the table.”

There it was. The answer he’d been waiting for. Now all Yukio had to do was ignore the burning disappointment in his chest and things could go back to how they were.

“Don’t give up yet”, Morrison argued. Her smug tone sharply reminded Yukio that not only was she a half-demon as well, she had years of practice sensing others. 

Fuck.

“I got a feeling Okumura-kun might surprise us yet.” 

* * *

“So did you get accosted by our director about what’s apparently known as ‘Exorcist Drinking Spree?’”, Rin asked.

Yukio glanced at his watch. Only ten minutes left and it was the last lesson for the day. He’d take it.

Suguro slapped a leaf down hard. “If your deranged brother got you to guilt trip us into attending—”

“Oi, slow down. Mephisto was big on insisting that we could choose which one we attend this morning. Did he wake you up for that, too?”

The shudder that went through the room was probably a ‘no.’ Only Shiemi stayed unaffected, busy perusing Yukio’s own admittedly lackluster herbarium. She looked up.

“Did any of you ever attend a school dance?”

Rin frowned. “I think our middle school held one or two, but I had no reason to go. Yukio, you didn’t go either, right?”

Yukio nodded.

Suguro’s scowl didn’t lessen but at least he treated his plants with less aggression. “Same here.”

“I don’t know,” Shima said, “There’s gonna be black lights, right? I think it sounds like fun.”

Next to him, Kamiki snorted. “Don’t get your hopes up, playboy. No one will be your date as long as there’s a chance  _ Okumura-kun~ _ might ask them.” 

Yukio flinched hard at her spot on impression.

“Ah, you’re so mean, Izumu-chan…” 

Rin gave Yukio a pitying look. “Have fun herding Shura, Yukio. ”

“What’s keeping us from just not going?”, Suguro muttered.

“A nuisance wearing pink”, Kamiki retorted. “I don’t know what your problem is. Wear your uniform, stand around the punchbowl for an hour and then leave like any other person with common sense. Lift Konekomaru-kun and dazzle the room for good measure.”

“Please don’t”, Miwa objected immediately. “Lift Shiemi-chan instead.”

“Oh, but you looked so elegant!”, Shiemi gushed.

A blush painted Miwa’s cheeks. “Thank you, but I’d rather not give the entire school reason to talk about me.”

“You just need to make it a show”, Shima argued, leaning back in his chair. “Instead of 'oh, did you see that weird thing those first years did?' it’ll be 'yo, did you see what cool stunt they pulled off?!' Get me these flaming sticks and I’ll juggle for you.”

“You know how to juggle?”, Kamiki asked.

“No, but I’ll learn.” 

Shima grinned at her aggravated expression.

Shaking his head, Yukio took another look at his watch, “Well, that’s it”, he said. “Just finish the herbariums at home.”

They all started packing up their things as Yukio gathered the left-over material to put back. He’d have to write a note about replacing the pressed plants. 

When he looked back up, the exwires were already out the door while Shima was only coming down the steps. A few seconds and he’d be out the door, too.

_ Get Shima-kun to kiss you again. _

The sound of the others’ conversation moved further away. They wouldn’t hear anything that came from the classroom any moment now. 

_ Okumura-kun might surprise us yet. _

Two more steps and Shima would reach the door.

_ Get a clue.  _

“Shima-san.”

He stopped. Yukio could barely hear himself  _ think _ over his frantic beating of his heart. It felt as though someone was slowly squeezing the air from his lungs. 

Shima half-turned to look at him.

Yukio wetted his lips. 

“If you’d asked”, he said, barely managing to keep his voice from shaking, “I’d say yes.”

In the silence that followed, Yukio was hyper aware of the blush crawling up his cheeks as Shima tilted his head and  _ looked _ at him, the way he had that morning in Germany. 

After a moment that felt like an eternity, he turned fully towards Yukio.

“Okumura Yukio-sensei.”

He paused, barely noticeable.

“Will you be my date to the End Of The Year Dance?” 

* * *

The days passed in a blur. One moment Yukio came back to his dorm to scream into his pillow, the next Rin was fighting with him whether or not just wearing his uniform was fine. 

Yukio had very deliberately  _ not _ told him about the date. It still felt like a fever dream. As if any moment now he would wake up and the last few days hadn’t actually happened. Which was the main reason he wanted to wear his uniform— it brought him a sense of normality. 

The sense of normality was denied. Rin forced him into a bright blue button-up Yukio  _ swore _ he had never seen before and some jeans. They fought about the exorcist coat for a while, but Rin relented since it was the only proper coat Yukio owned and just because they weren’t as affected by the cold didn’t mean he could just leave in a cardigan. (Rin ended up wearing his own coat over a black long sleeve for the same reason.) 

They had agreed to meet up with the other exwires at the fountain. It was already dark out and the walk over seemed to stretch endlessly. Each lantern they passed made Yukio's stomach clench tighter and tighter until it felt like a tiny prick would make it explode. He startled at Rin’s arm wrapping around his shoulder.

“Don’t worry”, Rin said, “Every slow song tonight is ours.”

Yukio choked. “I’m not dancing with you.”

“You will. It'll be lovely. Both our feet are gonna hurt tomorrow.” 

Before Yukio could protest more, they arrived. The others were already waiting. 

Kamiki looked them up and down. “You already came prepared for when your clown of a brother comes drag you off?” 

“Don't jinx it”, Rin replied. “And anyway, why aren't you following your own advice and wearing your uniform?” 

Kamiki huffed. “Because unlike you, I actually have a sense of style!” As if to illustrate, she gestured first at herself— dressed in a pink dress with a cute ruffled hem— then at them all. 

It didn't come as a surprise that the Kyoto trio had opted for the same basic look— jeans and a button-down beneath their jackets. Miwa was the most daring of them in a windbreaker that looked straight out of the nineties. “My grandmother insisted I take it with me”, he explained at the twins' stares. 

Shiemi clapped her hands. “I think we all look great!” She was wearing a dress the same shade as her eyes, the fabric fluttering around her legs with every movement. 

“I agree”, Shima chimed in. He was the only one who had opted to wear a light pair of pants. “Not that anyone will see it in the dark. Except Neko-chan, of course, who will dazzle the room. So let's get to that!” 

As their group began moving towards the gym, he fell into step with Yukio and winked at him. By the time Yukio had fought down his blush Shima was staring ahead with a satisfied smile. 

The courtyard was full of chattering, students entering the gym in a steady flow.

They left their coats at the coat check (because obviously True Cross Academy’s End Of The Year Dance would have an actual coat check) before walking into the actual party, though Miwa was lovingly bullied into keeping the windbreaker on. 

(The fabric actually glowing earned a collective cheer.) 

It was a slow start. Once the trickle of students had slowed, their student council president greeted them and officially started the party. For a while, the students kept to the edges, awkwardly shuffling around with only a few brave souls really dancing. 

Then Rin announced that just standing around was boring and the music was boring, too. He cut across the dance floor the way only a disgruntled delinquent could, students parting like the red sea before him. 

"I'm leaving", Kamiki muttered as they watched Rin speak with the dj. "There's no way his suggestion will improve this." 

"Rin has good taste in music", Miwa argued.

Kamiki shot him a look. 

"A bit old-school, but good." 

As if to prove Miwa right, the song Rin wished for started playing. 

“Please no…”, Yukio groaned as he recognized the piano. 

Shima patted Miwa on the shoulder. “I am glad someone finally matched your taste in dad music.” 

“Oh! I know that song!”, Shiemi exclaimed. Yukio felt she was way too excited, but then she wasn’t burdened with the memory of their father belting the song at the top of his lungs. 

Before he could make a break for it, Rin was back, grabbing him by his hands. “I told you, I am not dancing with you!”, Yukio hissed. 

“Too late!”, Rin answered, pulling Yukio along. “You are young, not so sweet and almost seventeen. So stop being such a spoilsport!” 

And that was how Yukio found himself surrounded by people wildly waving their arms around. 

The fact that the others joined in made him feel a bit less awkward. As did Rin and Shima trying to out-do each other with embarrassing dance moves. Kamiki laughed at them from a safe distance until Paku came over and pulled her onto the dancefloor as well. Somehow Yukio’s hands ended up in Shiemie#s and they twirled in circles much like they had during the school festival. 

It was silly and embarrassing but when they shuffled around and Yukio failed at trying to follow the steps Suguro showed him, he just started laughing.

“How are you so bad at this?!”, Suguro demanded, exasperated, “ _ How?!” _

Yukio just shrugged, laughing harder.

“Don’t be so hard on sensei, Bon. We can’t all be the picture of grace and elegance that Neko-chan is.”

“Shima!”

“Aw, you don’t have to act so embarrassed!”

They stayed on the floor for a few songs before Shiemi and Rin left to get something to drink. After that their group was less static, someone leaving to get a snack or to talk to someone or just to get off the dancefloor before the group eventually reformed again. 

All the while Shima stayed by Yukio’s side. It was almost ridiculous how good he was at making it inconspicuous— never sticking outright to Yukio but shooting him smiles whenever Yukio thought he was subtle whenever Yukio thought he was subtle about watching him or brushing their fingers as he passed a drink. Yukio’s heart beat matched the drum of the speakers every single time it happened.

Only when the music dropped into something slow did they really move off the dancefloor. Rin frowned at the couples forming. 

“I hate that Mephisto’s stupid comment about Jesus is starting to make sense.”

Yukio nearly choked on his drink

As the others began a new raid on the snacks, Yukio stood by a wall, not at all surprised when Shima sidled up next to him. 

“You good?”, he asked. They weren’t close enough to touch but Yukio could still feel the warmth coming off of him.

“Yeah.” Yukio cleared his throat. “It’s unexpectedly fun.”

Shima hummed in agreement. They watched the crowd for a while before Shima pushed off the wall and held out a hand to him.

“Wanna dance?”

He led Yukio to an empty corner before pulling him close. It felt a bit ridiculous, placing one hand on Shima's shoulder while holding onto the other. Shima's hand was a brand against his side, gently pulling Yukio into the dance. 

The gloom made it easier. Other students were nothing more than dark shapes in Yukio's peripheral and for a few moments he allowed himself to ignore them. It also helped that the song that played was slow but not overly so, with a clear beat to follow. Shima seemed to know it, leading Yukio as he quietly sang along. 

Noticing Yukio’s staring, Shima grinned, leading him into a turn, singing louder when Yukio snorted at how high he had to lift his arm to achieve it. 

It was nice. Just them, Shima’s voice and hands to focus on. Yukio felt like maybe, just maybe, he could get away with a little.

He inched closer. 

Shima didn't say anything, though he adjusted his grip. 

Another few turns and the song came to an end. Yukio prepared himself for their dance to end as well, but Shima kept him in his sure hold as the next song started. 

Unable to hide a relieved smile, Yukio settled back in. 

"So", Shima drawled after what felt like an eternity. It really had been two songs. They had moved even closer, now only a few scant inches keeping them apart. "You finally got your clue?" 

Yukio kind of wanted to hit him. Mostly he was busy blushing though. 

“... I think so”, he muttered.

Shima smiled, like the sun breaking through the clouds. With a jolt Yukio realized he had never seen such a genuine expression on him. 

“So you won’t mind if I do it again?”, Shima asked.

The memory of Shura’s  _ get Shima-kun to kiss you again _ nearly made Yukio shove away, too much, too fast but the butterflies on his stomach won out. “I won’t”, he assured quietly.

Almost immediately, Shima stopped their dancing, sliding his hands up to Yukio’s face and pulled him down. His lips were a s soft as the first time, gently moving against Yukio's as his thumbs caressed across his cheeks. Yukio released the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, tilting into it as he followed Shima’s lead. He pressed close, clinging onto Shima’s shoulders. 

“There you two ar— oh.”

Yukio jerked back.

Rin was staring at them, luckily the only one who paid them any mind. 

They were still holding onto each other. 

There was no way to misinterpret. 

Rin's frown had never looked so terrifying before.

“Since when—” 

“Today”, Yukio interrupted. He felt faint, as if the only thing holding him up was Shima. “It— today.”

Rin’s gaze flitted between them for what felt like an eternity. Yukio assumed that— he hadn’t thought Rin would react  _ badly _ and the silence made Yukio’s nerves flare up. 

“Okay”, Rin said. “I'm taking the others back to our dorm to play cards. You… decide what you want to tell them.”

He turned and disappeared into the crowd, leaving them to stare after him. 

Yukio turned back to Shima. 

He wanted to ask what their plans were, figure out what  _ this _ was supposed to be, but all he achieved was wordlessly opening and closing his mouth, no sound leaving his lips. 

Shima looked up at him with that expression again, the one that was burned into Yukio’s memories now. His hands slipped slowly from Yukio’s face, down his arms, to reach for his hands. 

“Date me?”

* * *

“Perfect timing!”, Rin called when they entered the dormitory kitchen. “Here, take this.” He passed them glasses and drinks to bring over to the usual table. 

(Rin also aggressively ruffled Yukio’s hair, tail wrapping around his waist for all of three seconds. It was exactly the reassurance Yukio had needed.)

The rest of the exwires were already busy decimating the cheesecake that had been meant for tomorrow’s family dinner. “What took you two so long?”, Kamiki asked as they sat down between Shiemi and Suguro. Before Yukio had time to figure out how to say it, Shima already opened his mouth. 

“I wanted a few moments alone with my boyfriend.”

The infernal blush returned to Yukio’s face. He was glad that at least Shima stayed unaffected under the others’ gazes that slowly turned from confused to shifting between them with mounting realization. 

“You and  _ Okumura-sensei?”,  _ Miwa stressed.

Shima leaned back in his chair with a smirk. Yukio wanted to sink into the ground in embarrassment, unable to do anything but hide behind his hand. 

“What can I say, I’ve always been into the sexy teacher type.”

Suguro was the first to work through that new information. “So the reason you said Kobayashi-sensei was your first crush was to  _ come onto Okumura-sensei?!” _

“No!”, Shima shut him down, “As if that would have worked. I was just sick of pretending to only like girls.”

“What.”

“Yeah, I always talked about girls. But sometimes I wanna talk about boys!” Shima grabbed Suguro by the shoulders. “Because, you know,  _ boys.” _

Suguro’s expression clearly said, no, he didn’t know, no matter how emphatically Shima shook him. 

Rin came over, setting down chips and crackers on the table before giving Yukio a pat on the shoulder. Kamiki turned to him. “Aren’t you going to threaten the fool?”, she demanded. 

Rin blinked. “Why would I?”

“You know. Make sure he will love and cherish Okumura-sensei. Prove that he can take care of him.” 

“But Renzou already did that?”

At the collective confusion, Rin added: “When Yukio went batshit and joined the Illuminati?” 

Yukio hadn’t considered that. Neither had the others, it seemed. Shima looked incredibly pleased as he let go of Suguro to get up and wrap an arm around Rin’s shoulder. “You’re such a reliable guy, Rin. Please never change.” 

“Why are you all being so weird?”, Rin asked, returning the embrace. 

Suguro scowled at them. “That’s rich coming from part of the clown-duo.” 

“Shh, Bon, can’t you see we’re having a moment here?”, Shima asked. As if to prove Suguro’s point, he smushed their cheeks together. 

Rolling his eyes, Yukio grabbed the deck of cards. At least the ‘moment’ had given him enough time for his blush to go away. “End the moment and sit down. I thought you wanted to play.” 

With that they finished shuffling snacks and drinks to the side and everyone sat down. The relative peace was quickly broken by curses and threats of bodily harm alike. Kamiki kept trying to kick Shima under the table, whose escape plan was wheedling his way into Yukio’s lap. (At Yukio’s refusal he whined “Hey, I thought I get to do that now!” much to the amusement of the others.)

As Yukio sat in the midst of his brother’s friends— his friends, too, at this point— an almost tipsy buzz filled him, a glowing warmth that buoyed him everytime Rin kicked him under the table or Shiemi laughed next to him. When Shima shuffled closer and closer, probably thinking he was subtle about it, until he could put his head on Yukio’s shoulder. 

“Stop looking into Okumura-sensei's cards”, Suguro admonished. 

As if to be contrary, Shima pressed even closer, hooking his ankle around Yukio's under the table. “I'm not”, he insisted, “I am leaning on my boyfriend's nice broad shoulders for emotional support.” 

Kamiko retched. “Is this what every lesson is gonna be like?", she asked. "If so, I am taking everything back, I haven't forgiven you and they should lock you up in a cell to rot.”

“Izumo-chan, jealousy is a  _ terrible  _ look for you. Don't you agree, dearest?” 

Yukio glanced down. Shima stared expectantly at him from where he was pressed against Yukio’s shoulder, deep brown eyes full of mirth. 

This was an expression Yukio was familiar with, though it was the first time it had been directed at him. Not almost mocking curiousity or the careful blankness as he tried to figure Yukio out, but a prompt to play along. 

Well, if that was what he wanted. 

Yukio leaned in, gently slotting their lips together as Shima froze against him. The mirth was replaced by wide-eyed surprise when Yukio pulled back, Shima wordlessly working his mouth. Yukio couldn't help but smirk. 

“I'm not saving you should Kamiki-san and Suguro-san decide to throw you off the roof, so behave.”

With that he turned his attention back to his cards, pretending not to notice the stares. 

Rin shook his head. “Really, what has gotten into you all today.” He threw down a card. “Izumo-chan, your turn.” 

“How the hell are you so calm about this”, she answered, picking the game back up. 

There was an evil kind of satisfaction in noticing how it took reaching his own turn for Shima to unfreeze. “This is revenge for that time, isn't it?”, he muttered. The others did a terrible job pretending not to perk up. 

“Whatever makes you say that?” Yukio didn’t even try to keep his expression neutral. The grin was just too hard to fight back. 

Shima heaved one of his theatralic sighs. 

“I guess that’s what I get for kissing you while the others were busy with Rin.” 

His laughter was lost in the ensuing chaos. 


End file.
